NHL Knights reach three-year deal with goalie Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights loses his stick as he makes a skate save on a shot by Chandler Stephenson of the Washington Capitals June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights loses his stick as he makes a skate save on a shot by Chandler Stephenson of the Washington Capitals June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada (AFP Photo/Ethan Miller)

Los Angeles (AFP) - Marc-Andre Fleury, the Canadian goaltender who backstopped the first-year Vegas Golden Knights on an unlikely run to the National Hockey League Final, agreed to terms Friday on a three-year contract extention.

The 33-year-old goalie was a member of three Stanley Cup champion squads with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Canada's 2010 Winter Olympic gold medal team.

Fleury, who could have become a free agent next July, will be paid $21 million under the new deal, which starts with the 2019-2010 campaign. He will complete next year a four-year deal worth $23 million that he signed with Pittsburgh in 2014.

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"I'm really excited," Fleury said. "My family and I really love Vegas, the organization, my teammates, and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to keep playing in front of (Golden Knights fans) for another couple years."

Fleury sparked the Penguins to Stanley Cup titles in 2009, 2016 and 2017 but was left unprotected by Pittsburgh in last year's NHL Expansion Draft and taken by the Knights, who matched the greatest run by any first-year team in North American sports history by reaching the final, where they lost to the Washington Capitals.

Fleury won 29 of 46 games with four shutouts last season with a career-best 2.24 goals-against average and career-best .927 save percentage. In the playoffs, he went 13-7 with four shutouts and a 2.24 goals-against average.

In 14 NHL seasons since Pittsburgh made him the top pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, Fleury has won 404 games, becoming the 13th league goalie to crack the 400-win mark for his career. He's third among active goalies on the all-time win list behind Florida's Roberto Luongo (471) and Swedish netminder Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers (431).